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The 2012-13 NHL season may be on the verge of going extinct, without ever even beginning.

ESPN.com reports that the league is expected to announce the cancellation of the Winter Classic on Thursday. There are many who believe that cancelling the Jan. 1 outdoor game between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs — a major cash cow for the league — would likely signal the cancellation of the entire season.

The NHL announced the cancellation of games through November last week after the owners pulled their latest offer off of the table.

"No new news," deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com in an email. "We withdrew our most recent proposal on Friday, and now we are spending time thinking about our next proposal and how best to get closer to a resolution. We hope the union is doing the same thing. Given the fact that the union refused even to discuss our last proposal, it would appear that we still have a large gulf to bridge."